October 29: Third-quarter sales at US-based canmaker Ball Corporation were driven by a leap of almost US$100 million in sales at its food and household goods packaging division, which includes food and aerosol cans.
The jump to $459.5m, up 26 percent on the same period in 2008, was attributed by Ball to improved manufacturing efficiencies and plant closures earlier in the year.
It was not enough to offset a decline in sales in Ball’s other businesses. Third-quarter sales slipped by 2 percent to $1.97 billion with lower volumes in the Americas & Asia beverage can division where sales fell by eight percent to $706.4m. In Europe, beverage can volumes were flat but reported sales fell 6.5 percent to $478m because of currency translations.
[updated October 30]
